not of a disposition fit to receive these mercies of God that we declare to you So those that were invited to the mariage of the kings son in the gospel the text saith they were not worthy what was that They had no hunger after the feast they prized it not and therefore they were unwilling to come If you would therefore have the mercies of God be worthy of them labour to be in a disposition fit to receive them Now as we said before by worthiness we do not me an any measure of grace whatsoever or any preparations as if they came under any merit or desert it seems good to the God of all grace by deeply affecting and humbling of us under our sins to beget in us vehement desires after Christ our Saviour Again you must take a resolution to serve him with a perfect heart for the time to come though you have no worthiness for the present if you be in such a disposition as you have this the more so you shal have the more mercies But this is not all it is true this is required in the beginnings of mercy viz. an exceeding great desire after forgiveness But a resolution to serve God for the time to come this is to receive or to be worthy viz. to be willing to part with father and mother and all for Christ such a disposition must be wrought in you before you can lay hold upon any part in these riches yet I say this is not all but if you would have these mercies continued you must walk worthy of them those gracious qualifications are ordered in tendency to your introduction and admittance into the Covenant of grace and the mercies here spoken of but after you are brought into covenant with God you cannot secure the comfortable contents of it unlesse you labour to walk worthy of them pleasing the Lord in all things as St Paul saith and as it is in Psal. 18. 25. with the upright man thou wilt shew thy selfe upright and with the froward thou wilt shew thy selfe froward that is you shall finde as much mercy in me as I finde Enemies of behaviour in you but if you walk stubbornly and frowardlie with me I will walke stubbornly with you Therefore it is that when the Saints stepp out of the way and walk unevenlie with God that he chafteneth and afflicteth them herecompenseth saith Solomon the righteous in this life that is he afflicteth the righteous when they go astray from his waies Put this together with that place in 1 Pet. 1. 17. we call him father that judgeth every man according to his works that is he doth this to his own children chasteneth and afflicteth them when their carriage to him is not upright Therefore saith the Apostle making this as a motive to that exhortation which followeth passe the time in fear take heed now of offending for we call him father that judgeth every man according to his works for though it be true that God is rich in mercy yet there must be a worthy walking for he holdeth not the wicked innocent though he deal wisely and lovingly wiâ—h his children yet he will be sanctified in them he will have such a carriage from them as befitteth those that are his children therefore as you would have him deal mercifully with you so you must walk worthy of his mercies The next Consectarie is this If God be rich in mercy then be willing to serve him you know a mercifull man a liberal man never wanteth workmen every man is willing to betake himselfe to a rich and merciful master That is the use I finde made of it in Deut. 28. 47. Because thou servest not the Lord with chearfulness of heart for the abandance of all things as if he should have said seeing he hath given thee abundance of all things he lookes that thou shouldest serve him with chearfulness therefore when you hear of the riches of Gods mercy you must make this use of it to be willing to serve him with chearfulness of heart So it is in Rom. 12. I beseech you by the mercies of God that you present your bodies as a living sacrifice holy c. that is if God have been so merciful to you then give up your selves to serve him altogether consecrate your selves wholly to him let your bodies and mindes serve for no other use but for his service for so it is when a thing is consecrated to the Lord nothing else hath to do with it but onely the Lord if he be therefore an exceeding merciful God give up your selves wholly to his service Object This is that we had need to exhort you to it may be every man will be apt to say we serve the Lord and who is there that serveth him not Answ. But my brethren the truth is we do not serve the Lord and whatsoever we say yet we serve other masters and not him we serve men we serve the world we serve our riches we serve our credits we serve our lusts and very few there are that serve the Lord that is look what men have an eye to in their actions that they serve Consider therefore what you do in your actions look what you do with respect to your wealth and profit therein you serve but your profit and not God look what you do with respect to honour amongst men therein you serve men and not the Lord the like I may say or other things so that if you examine your actions you shall finde that God hath but a little part in all your performances but still some by-respect cometh in between But you must know that all the talents that you have are given you for this end that you may serve your master with them all the riches the honour the strength the wit the learning c. that you have you should serve the Lord with them but we do not serve him altogether we serve respects of our own by respects we serve men with them when there is a man upon whom our rising dependeth it is wonder to see with what solicitude and vigilancy we serve him the like we may say of other respects that we have in things that concern our selves in these or the like we use the talents that God hath given for his service to our own advantage and not for our masters benefit When we do things in sinâ—…rity unto God as in the sight of God this is to serve the Lord this we should do in all our callings and therefore though â—…u must follow your callings yet as it is said of servants Eph 5 that though they serve men yet they are the servants of the Lord and therefore they were to do their service as unto the Lord even so should every man in his calling men should have their eyes upon the Lord do it because he commandeth them to do it because it tendeth to his glory because some honour will redound unto him thereby
for his mercy it is a sign that he would have his mercy to be his glory and excellency but I will stay no longer upon the proving of this point let us now make some use of it First If the mercies of God be his glory doubt not then but that when you come to ask at his hand any request that is meet for you he will be ready to grant it for it is his glory to shew mercy and God loveth his glory now if so be to shew mercy be his glory doubt not then I say of obtaining what you desire at his hands for glory is nothing else but the manifestation of some excellency to the view and knowledge of man When a thing is excellent and beautiful and is shut up we say it is beautiful but not glorious except it be explicated and spread abroad to the view of others as a peacock is then said to be glorious when he spreadeth abroad his feathers and the Sun is said then to be in his glory when he shineth in his brightness when Ahasuerus made that great feast he did it for the glory of his kingdom because in the feast his riches and potency was manifest therefore it made him glorious So doth the Lord if all his perfections were shut up in himself they were excellent but not properly glorious for glory is when any excellency is made manifest to the view of others therefore God iâ— said to be glorious when he manifesteth his mercy If therefore this be his glory then doubt not but that he will be ready to shew mercy to men that is not onely to be merciful in himself but to shew mercy to you learn hence now to strengthen your faith and to come with more boldness to the throne of grace and beseech God to grant you what you ask that he might glorifie himself when you have therefore occasion to ask any grace any help or any succour in temptation this will help to prevail with him Lord if thou shuttest thy hand and keepest thy mercy within thy self what glory wilt thou bring to thy self but if thou openest thy hand and manifestest thy mercy thence will glory redound to thee Secondly if Gods mercy be his glory or his excellency then let us praise him for his mercy let us give him the glory of it for that he looks for at our hands on Gods part there is but this to make him glorious viz. an explication or shewing of his mercy on our part it is required that we see it and take notice of it be inwardly perswaded that he is merciful Seeing now God hath done his part in making manifest his mercy let us also do our dutie and give him what is required on our part even to praise him for his mercy that is it which he looks for from his Children whatsoever others do Wisdom is justified of her children whatsoever others do let the Saints and children of God justifie him for his mercy let them say that he is merciful Others will not say it or at least they do not think it but as those wicked men that were devoured with fire that came from God brake cut into this speech who shall dwell with everlasting burnings even so every evil man thinketh God a cruel master thinkes him a severe judge this secret thought hath every evil man in him but yet let his children justifie him for his mercy let him say as David did yet God is good to Israel c. that is though he afflict them often yet he is good to Israel and to them that are of a pure heart Let us be readie to say as the Seraphims in Isay 6. holy and holy is the Lord of hostes it is spoken upon this occasion The prophet Isaiah was sent forth upon this errand to make the hearts of the people heavy this seemed a strange judgement God seemed to be very cruel to make their hearts heavy that seeing they might not see and hearing they might not understand yet they justified God notwithstanding that hee was holy so let us do though we see not the reason of all his wayes yet let us justifie him and say he is glorious and give him the praise of his mercy that is let us be perswaded of it our selves that he is merciful that he is not hard to the wicked that he is an indulgent father to his children and when we have don let us be ready to speak of it to others and indeed when we our selves have the sence of his mercies then we will be ready to speak of them to others then speeches will come from us easily naturally and plentifully but contrariwise when we are not inwardly perswaded of the mercies of God our selves our speeches of them come forcibly and sparingly and truly my brethren this is the reason we are so little in praising the Lord because our selves are not touched with a sence of his mercies we are not perswaded he is so exceeding merciful as he is we think better of men then we do of him therefore if any thing greive us we are readier to complain unto men then unto God and for matter of mercy we are exceeding in praising of those men that are merciful to us but we are not perswaded of the exceeding mercifulness of God for if we were we would be speaking of his praise we would be exhorting others to serve the same master but we are short in this and the reason is because we are not perswaded of the riches of his mercy our selves I will now add but one word more fully to convince you of the glorious riches of mercy that is in God because you may object Is God so merciful what is the reason then that he doth so sharply afflict even his dearest children why doth he afflict evil men with such a great affliction as hell iâ— selfe why are so many damned and why do so many perish while it is in his power to save them Lastly is he not an hard master to condemn many that could not be saved as the Gentiles that came not to the knowledg of the Gospel before Christs time and since also doth not God exact that at their hands which they could not perform and doth he not look to reap there where he did not sow how can we therefore be perswaded of his exceeding mercifulness I will answer all these breiflly For the first I answer that though God indeed be exceeding rich in mercy yet that doth not contradict his other Attributes though he be rich in mercy yet it contradicteth not his wisdom therefore he afflicteth his children otherwise he were not wise as you have heard heretofore at large Secondly though he be rich in mercy yet that contradicts not his juâ—…ice therefore he must deal with the wicked according to their sins for he holdeth not the wicked innocent their punishments therefore are great because their sins are great Thirdly for the multitude
debt And the strength of the argument is thus If Christ had not risen again but been still in the power of the grave and kept under by the enemy of our salvation the poor believer might have been justly afraid his debt had not been paid but Christ being risen and out of hold he is out of doubt As when the debtor sees the Kings Son that was his surety at liberty and in the Kings Court he fears not but his debt is paid so when the poor believer sees Christ set free from the power of the grave c. he knows God hath accepted the payment he hath made as sufficient for him Let us therefore look upon our selves as having a part in Christ and know whatsoever he did it was for us even for every true believer so that he rising again we rise again which being so it manifests that God hath accepted Christ his payment if any thing could hinder it must be death and the grave but Christ being risen they have lost their power and so none able to condemn Rom. 6. 9. Christ rose for us never to dye again and therefore that we should never dye eternally A third reason is taken from the sitting of Christ at the right hand of God which puts all out of question that he paid our debt when he laid down his life in that he is risen and ascended up to his Father Now God would never have admitted him to sit at his right hand had the work been unfinished but now being ascended to the right hand of his Father where he is advanced to the highest pitch of honour glory and Majesty and that in our Nature sitting in full authority King of heaven earth there for ever by his spirit to gather and guide all his children and quell the power of their enemies it is apparent that our Sureties payment is accepted so that now nothing can condemn a Believer not his conscience nor any thing else can condemn him and therefore he may triumph over all accusations In the fourth place add unto all this that Christ doth not onely sit at Gods right hand but so as that he also maketh intercession for every true beleever having not onely power but even the same good will and mind that ever he had to do them good consider this well whether thou beleeving needest to fear the face of any enemy whatsoever The poor man that was indebted to the great King For whom the Kings son was pleased to undertake and satisfie when he sees him come out of prison set at liberty in his fathers Court in greater honor and not onely so but highly favoured of the King his father and continually requesting him for that poor man What needs he now care for all his enemies He need not be affraid to look all officers in the face c. Is this the secure and happy estate of every true believer out of himself in Christ. Then see the necessity of using all those means and that constantly whereby Christ our Blessed Redeemer is pleased to communicate himself and this his grace unto us Faith is a special gift and grace and comes from God in Christ and Christ he comes onely in the meanes which are channels and conduit-pipes Therefore if thou wouldest have this grace and be strengthened and increased therein even as thou wouldest have thy soul thus dignified use carefully all the means As The word which is the Scepter of Christs Kingdome submit thy soul to it If thou wilt have an excellent spirit such a one as Ioshua had pray to God for it and take heed of grieving the spirit of God by continuing in the practice of any known sin which is as water that quenches the fire but rather cherish thy faith and put fuel unto it by constant consionable hearing reading prayer meditation receiving the Sacrament holy conference and watching over thy heart For if thou put fuel to thy faith and keep away that which may quench it thou shalt clearly see this blessed truth and find the power of faith in this that hath been said Therefore as thou wouldest have this confidence and comfort in thy heart and soul use the means for it The dilligent hand becomes rich in Gods ordinary providence and so mayst thou in this grace if thou use diligence there is no way else Therefore whilst thou hast time use the means give attendance to the word and all those heavenly meanes before mentioned It s true indeed Christ hath freed himself by dying rising again and bring at the right hand of God and this I believe saith the poor soul in the midst of his fears temptations and troubles of mind but how should I bee comforted in knowing that I am freed from all that danger and condemnation which my sins do deserve Yes upon this ground every beleeving soul and so thou if thou doest believe mayest be sure to be freed as Christ himself is freed and that even because Christ undertook and did all this for the poor believing soul and he had not done it but for him Esai 9. 6. Toâ—us a child is born to us a Sonne is given All he did was for us and for our Salvation so that if Christ hath any happiness thou believing in him mayest be assured of it as Christ himself All Gods intentions towards thee are founded in love else how should that be true Iohn 3. 16. God so Loved the world c. Christ also took all upon him for our sake even to redeem and save us he needed not have done it for himself for he was God in glory c. lift up therefore thy heart by faith and beleeve this and thou shalt find it true though we miserable wretches are unworthy of any such mercies yet is God worthy to be believed Look on Christ and consider who he is and reflect it upon thy self and if thou canst believe the Lord Jesus hath done all this for thy sake To help and strengthen thee to this First Consider Christ did it for us that believe as a surety we were all bannk-rupts in the law of God for want of obedience thereunto now Christ the surety of mankind comes and undertakes for us and hath done iâ— Hebrews 7. 22. He was made surety of â—a better testament Therefore think on him alwayes as thy Surety in glory Christ there is said to be a Surety of better things then the legal Rites were even of the New Testament wherein whatsoever is contained it is for us and there it is treasured up ask and thou shalt have seek and thou shalt find All he did he did as my Surety all the evil he took away and all the good he purchased it was for me A second means or help to strengthen thee if thou art one that art humbled for sin and desirest more and more to believe is to know that God hath bound himself and sworn to it and he is true though every man
profitable delight in them above others and if we were truly thirsty and hungry we would do so A thirsty man stands not to look at the carving of the cup but drinks off the wine and a hungry man had rather have a good meals meat then hear a whole noise of musicians and he will not stand commending but he will fall to his meat though this be too little practised for many when the Word is delivered finde no relish in it but are ready to complain of the plainness and simplicity of the spirit which to do is to do as children that bites the nipples of the teats that gives the sweetest milk And this secondly shews their vanity for when they meet with a Sermon partly good partly not wherein Heterogenies are mixed for otherwise I know not how better to call them this is sure to go into their table books I mean not sound and wholesome points but pretty sayings and frothy matters and these are not unfitly compared to our sileing bowls that let all the milk run through but retain the hairs and that which is nought that sticks in them for how choise soever their eloquence is it is but as hairs in that case although they be flowers in an oration yet are they but weeds in a Sermon Thirdly To hold that which is good to retain and keep it in memory 1 Thess. 5. 21. The Greek word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is hold it fast let it stay in your affections comprehend it when you have heard it keep it let it not slip away but practise it and this is to hold it Now this is done by recalling and by repeating the Word after it is delivered This is commended in Mary that shee laid up the Word in her heart she laid it as one that layes a thing up to have it to use against another time Why is this Word recorded if not to be imitated suppose they were the words of Angels are not Ministers the Angels of God So it is said that the Holy Ghost brought to the disciples mindes all the things that he had told them Now the Holy Ghost would do no unnecessary thing and doth not Christ speak as well to us as he did to them onely with this difference to them he spake immediately but to us by his Ministers What other was the fault of the first ground the seed lay on a while whilest the â—ower was by but after it was stollen away by the Devil because it was not repeated and wrought in the memory so when a Sâ—rmon is done if it be soon forgot as we have a natural proneness thereunto the Devil hath a hand in it and this hath brought Gods Judgements on many therefore take heed saith our Saviour how you hear Luke 8. 18 when Christ delivered any thing in publick the Disciples repeated it in private and came to Christ and asked him of such things they doubted of Act. 17. 11. The men of Berea searcheth the Scriptures whether these things were so which they had heard which they could not do without repeating Where there is a double duty performed First they did repeat it Secondly they tryed it To make this evident consider these four things First not repeating the Word of God after it is preached doth quench the spirit and that is sin 1 Thess. 5 24. Now it is quenched thus In the time of preaching for that is the time when the Holy Ghost breaths into our hearts as he did into Cornelius when he stirs up motions and we let them die and recall them not we quench and grieve the spirit for then it is a mercy of God to trouble us the time of healing being nigh if he step in as it was in the pool of Bethesda while the heart is soft therefore put in the plough and join with God for we must not be like those that are Sea-sick while they are on the Sea they are troubled but as soon as they get to shore out of the Church door they are well enough If God at any time breaths his Word into us we must do as Mariners do who because they have not winde at their call when it doth blow they hoise up sail and go on their Journey the Word and Spirit blow when it listeth therefore we must take opportunity to set our souls in the way of Heaven to recall the motions which have been stirred up in the inner Chamber of our hearts and to make use of them lest by often neglecting them the Spirit grow wearie and cease to strive any more It is despising of prophesie which is a pearl Mat. 7. 6. Christ will not have him admonished that before contemptuously refused it because he will have no pearls be cast before swine If admonitions be pearls then much more instructions if a private admonition be a pearl then sure publick instructions Now that is despising of prophesie which is made plain thus Suppose a man give another a pearl while the giver is by he looks on it and beholds the beauty of it but when he is gone he casts it away and trampleth it under his feet So it is if while the Word is delivering we attend to it and when Sermon is done reject it and look no more on it but cast it away is not this a despising of prophesie It is food of the soul and therefore not to recal it is as it were children to take meat of their parents hands and perhaps taste of it but after cast it away or it is as if sheep should tread their fodder under their feet So it is when the Word is delivered for it is the food of the soul to receive it and after to cast it away It will not profit us except it be remembred and hid in our hearts we shall get no good by it meat though it be eaten yet if it stay not with us it will not nourish us unless therefore we labour to gather something from it and retain it it will not breed succum sanguinem nourishment in us as it ought But this is much neglected of among men for as many go into Gardens some to see the variety of flowers some to smell of them but onely it is the Bee that fastens on them and gets Honey out of them So many come to Church some to see what variety the Minister hath some get sweetness for the time but onely they that do insidere notare lay them up and minde them get profit by them See this in other things let a man hear a Philosophy Lecture or Logick never so long if he recals not what he hears it will be long enough ere he be an Artist and are not Gods Ordinances much more to be respected Not respecting of it takes Gods name in vain and the Judgement of it is fearful viz. He will not hold him guiltless And that which is a taking of Gods Name in vain is plain thus The
Scriptures that when blessings are there mentioned the Lord sets an acâ—… upon the special benefits when he names what he had done for his people as his people of Israel I brought you out of Egypt and delivered you from Pharaoh these and these great mercies I wrought for you The Lord looks for great thankfulness for great mercies So when he speaks to David I tooke thee from the Ewes with yong and gave thee the Kingdome c. These great mercies As you must be thankfull for all so you must render according to the greatness of them This mercy bestowed upon Hezekiah was a great mercy and that he was not thankful for it accordingly the Lord took it ill at his hands Therefore that you may fulfil this condition you ought to look back to the former passages of your lives and consider what notable blessings you have received what great deliverances And still remember that as the mercies go beyond them which others have so we must go beyond them in thanksgiving for we ought to render to the Lord according to the mercies received Fourthly This is also required that it be presently done but Hezekiah did not render according to the mercies received It might have been said though Hezekiah had not yet done it yet he might do it afterward for the Ambassadours came to him immediately after his recovery yet because he did not do it at that time but deferred it you see the Lord takes the deferring to do it for an omission of it The Lord looked for this at his hands that as he had received great mercies from him so he should be careful to render thanks and to render it presently It is a sinne against God in a special manner although we should perform a duty yet to put it off and not perform it in due season Every duty we perform ought to have right circumstances the very deferring of our thankfulnesse is that which debaseth and lesseneth it as well as the omission of it David when he would shew himself thankful for the mercies he had received he would not go to bed nor suffer his eyes to slumber till he had found out a place for God We should therefore take heed of delayes in this kind When we go about any ill action indeed it is good to delay but in the service of the Lord the more hast the better In the service of the Devil and sin the more hast the worst speed To use an argument from the greater to the less As we see in Abraham there was two great commands that he had the one was to put away Ishmael The other to offer Isaack The Text notes this that in both of them he rose early he did not defer it For although they were duties very contrary to his flesh as he was a man yet because the Lord commanded it he did them speedily I say if in these duties which were burdensome and hard duties it is noted in the text that Abraham did them speedily what ought we to do in the duty of thankfulness It was the commendation of Abrahams servant that he would not eat nor drink till he had done his Masters business and declared his message When we have business of the Lords to do it is a sign of diligence to do it speedily Why is that noted in the servant of Abraham Is it not for our learning These four things therefore are to be observed Now to apply this If this be a thing that the Lord looks for at our hands that we render according to the mercies received Then let every one of us consider whether we have answered this expectation of the Lord or no Among men there is nothing so grevious as when their expectation is crossed When a man expects a thing from his Wife or his Friend or his Child and receives not according to that expectation there can be nothing more grievous When we answer not the Lords expectation it causeth his wrath to be kindled Now you shall find that in these cases in case of great affliction in case of great deliverance in case of great means in all these cases the Lord expects great thankfulness When the Lord sendeth afflictions and we do not make use of them when we are not drawn in by them when we are not wrought upon by them This is a thing that provokes him to anger You know what is said of Ahaz that when he was afflicted he was worse and worse This is King Ahaz he rebelled yet more and more A brand is set upon him The Lord looked for fruit from the fig-tree and when he found it not he cursed it When the Lord shall send such a mercy as he hath now to us to remove this visitation be sure the Lord looks now for something more then ordinary at your hands Consider therefore how you answer his expectation And if you say every one of us hath not such interest in it Those that have been in the danger and been in the fire and have escaped out of it let them look to it No my brethren let us know that every one of us have an interest in it for let me ask you When the Lord sends a sickness and it lights but upon one place of the Kingdome yet the Lord is at controversie with the whole Nation he is at war with the whole land For the end of a plague is to discover the wrath of God and that he is displeased with the whole people Now consider with thy self when the Lord hath a controversie with the Land who is he that should answer this there is no action of a whole body so considered that can be expected but every particular man must take notice of it and if every particular man why doth it not belong to thee as well as to another The Lord looks for this at the hands of every man that he should consider his dealing in sending this sickness and visitation and that he should consider again his mercy in removing it to humble himself under the one and be thankful for the other And this thankfulness is to be inward and in truth I say this belongs to every one of us And remember that if we answer not his expectation wrath will return upon us as it is said it did upon Hezekiah as the text saith I confess we have cause to fear that the Lords expectation is not answered among us that we have not profited by this judgement as we ought Let us remember this that if we have not a worse thing will befal us For it is a usual thing with the Lord to send diverse afflictions to take away one to try us and to make known his patience and if we do not amend then lesser wedges make way for greater as it is Levit. 26. If ye return not I will send greater judgments I will plague you seven times more That in Ier. 34. is worthy our observation when the Lord had sent Nebuchadnezar
to beseige Ierusalem upon the Covenant that they made with the Lord though it were feigned the Lord drew him back and set them at liberty but afterward because they did not keep their promise and observe the Covenant that they had made the Lord sent him the second time and destroyed them utterly Do we know what the Lord will do yet further The Lord hath removed this sickness but who knows whether he may not send a greater then this if we do not render according to the mercies received although the sickness be removed yet be assured that there is wrath out and it will seize upon us Indeed it is possible to defer it and to stay it yet if we do not render to the Lord if we do not humble our selves we have cause to fear that there is not an end In 2 Chron. 7. 14. See what conditions the Lord requires when he will heale a land indeed If my people humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turne from their evill wayes then I will hear in heaven c. Marke it The Lord never heals a land to purpose he never heals the wound to the bottom but when their sins are healed and forgiven when the disease is taken away till men turne from their evill wayes till they seek the Lords face and his presence till men be humbled aright till they do thus their healing is but a skinning of the wound it will break out again Therefore we must not think that all is past because the Lord hath removed it for the present he may send the sword and a greater plague and therefore we are to consider this and no man is to put it off God observes how every man is affected with these works of his he that doth not consider but neglect it he takes the name of God in vain In a special manner I say the Lord observes this how men behave themselves at such times whether they do more for him then they were used to do These great actions of the Lord ought not to be passed by negligently but he expects great answering of such great mercies But you will say wherein doth this rendring to the Lord according to the mercies received consist What is this thankfulnesse I answer as it is said of love so it may be said of thankfulness it must not be in word onely but in deed and in truth Not but that it must be in word Psal. 107. It is required that we confesse the loving kindnesse of the Lord before men we should be ready to speak of it but that is not all it must be indeed and in truth And that consists in two things One is that our hearts be affected with the mercies and loving kindness of the Lord that the heart be enlarged towards the Lord with love and fear of his holy Name For when a man doth kindness to another that which winneth love is to consider the bountifulness of the mans disposition When we observe the Lords patience and long-suffering this should teach us the knowledge of the Lord and this should make us consider what a God he is that so his mercies may cause us to love him and that thereby our hearts may be enlarged towards him So David in Psal. 18. I love the Lord for he hath done thus and thus c. This is to be thankful indeed when our hearts are affected towards God when we think the better of the Lord for therein Davids affections were right that he was still speaking good of the Lord more and more he is worthy saith he to be praised So when we learn to trust the Lord he hath done thus and thus therefore we will trust him And when our hearts remember the Lord when we think of him continually And secondly as one part stands in this in the affection of the heart so likewise in our actions then we are thankful to the Lord indeed when we do something for him when our thankfulness is not a thing consisting onely in fancy and notion and imagination but when it produceth action and when we do the works of the Lord more abundantly When a man will set his thoughts on work to study what he may do or what he can do for the Lord. And when he shall do this not onely for the reward to come for that gives not a lustre to the action but it proceeds from thankfulnesse indeed when a man doth that which he doth because the Lord hath done thus and thus for him therefore he will serve him Herein our thankfulnesse is seen when we do something really because it is for the Lord. Saint Paul as he abounded in thankfulnesse so he abounded in labour Iacob because the Lord had heard him he would give him the Tenth of his goods and the Lord should be his God So when we have received special mercies we should do some special thing for God some extraordinary thing to pray more to be more frequent and fervent to be at more cost for the Lord upon such occasions to be more exact in reforming our lives and more fearful of offending God In a word as the Lord enlargeth himself in mercies to us so our hearts should be enlarged to him to do as much as may be And thus our thankfulnesse is exprest when we have opportunity when ever men come in place and occasions wherein they have opportunity to do service to God now to venture more to be more zealous for his sake to be more solicitous to do something to be more intent for the glory of God this is to be thankful according to the mercies received a man must set his thoughts on work to do something extraordinary when there is an extraordinary mercy bestowed To help us now to do this is to remove that which hinders it You shall see what hindred Hezekiah His heart was lifted up he did not render according to the mercies received from the Lord for his heart was lifted up In this there are three things First his heart was lifted up to other things to minde them and it was not lift up to the Lord to think of him and to serve him So that there was forgetfulnesse in him that is one thing intended when a man shall lift up his heart to other things to minde other things to do other things his heart forgets the Lord. Therefore the Lord when he would have his mercies remembered he appoints something to keep them in mind He hath appoynted the Sacrament of the Lords Supper do this in remembrance of me The passeover was appoynted to be taught to their Children that when they should ask them what they did meane by such a thing they should tell them that the Lord had delivered them out of the land of Egypt Forgetfulness is the cause of unthankfulness therefore to remember the mercies of the Lord is one thing that helps us to be thankful that is to observe the passages of his providence towards us
and about us Therefore we must exercise faith in his providence that is labour to see God through every mercy Those that want this eye of faith it is impossible for them to be thankful If we had the eye of faith the creatures would be as a glass to help us to see God better When Esau was kind to Iacob he saw the face of God in Esau I have seen thy face as the face of God saith he that is he saw the face of God through Esaus face It is not the creature it is not thy friend that brings thee comfort But as we say of a messenger that brings good tidings it is not the messenger that comforts the heart but the good tidings that he brings this is to lift up the heart to the Lord the contrary is to lift up the heart to vanity Secondly to lift up the heart that is by reason of that strength and those riches by reason of that wealth and plenty which he had his heart began to swell within him he began to bear himself aloft too much upon it to think himself secure this caused him to forget the mercies received Indeed there is a double exaltation of the mind One is when a man lifts up his heart because he hath the Lord to be his God this is a holy magnanimity this makes a man to keep on his course like a Lion and in this we are all defective But there is another lifting up and height of the heart when we think we are secure by reason of that support that we have of the creature and so we begin to settle upon our bottom to rest on the creature this was Hezekiahs fault You shall see the same phrase used 2 Chron. 26. 16. It is said there of Vzziah that the Lord helped him till he was mighty but when he was strong his heart was lifted up he thought himself secure now he thought he could do well without God and so his heart was lifted up So Rehoboam when the Kingdom was strengthened in his hand he forsook the Law of the Lord that was the lifting up of his heart The last is when the heart is lift up with a carnal rejoycing You shall see this in the text in Hezekiah when the Ambassadours came to him he was glad of them there was a false joy Outward blessings the more they have of our love the less God hath of our thankfulness Indeed there is a spiritual joy and the more of that the more thankfulness but in Hezekiah it was a carnal joy a secure rejoycing in the outward things that God had bestowed upon him and that made him to forget his thankfulness There is a joy that the Lord calls for in his people Deut. 26. 11 12. he requires this that they should rejoyce in any case because they should be thankful therefore they are put together often in the Psalm as Psal. 33. and Psal. 107. rejoyce in the Lord and be thankful but when the joy is carnal when we rejoyce immediately in the very creature this is that which hinders our thankfulness FREE GRACE MAGNIFIED REVEL 22. 17. Let him that is a thirst come and whosoever will let him take of the waters of life freely NOt to stand to open the words we may observe in them five parts First an offer to all men Secondly that God calleth and inviteth us to come Thirdly that whosoever will come must thirst Fourthly that if they so come they shall take of the water of life Fifthly and that freely I purpose at this time to speak of the second viz. That God inviteth man to come The point wee will deliver is not a point of controversie which we rather decline but a point of singular and great comfort and that is that â—â—â—rious Gospel which Paul did so much magnifie that mystery the Angels did so much labour to prie into that secret that was so much kept from the Iewes and revealed in due time to the Gentiles and that is the offer of Christ to all men in the world that would take him without all exceptions of persons or sins God doth not onely or meerly offer Christ but he sendeth out his Ministers and Ambassadours beseeching us to be reconciled he doth not onely tell us that there is a Marriage of his Son and that whosoever will come may come but he sendeth Messengers to beseech and to use an holy violence and earnest perswasion yea and not onely thus but he commandeth men and chargeth them upon their allegiance to come this is his commandment saith the Apostle that ye believe on him whom he hath sent yea he chargeth us upon death and damnation to come If you believe you shall be saved If you believe not you shall not be damned The first reason of this is because God would not have the death of his Son to be of none effect he would not have the blood of his Son spilt in vain and therefore he doth not make a bare offer of Christ but he beseecheth and compelleth men to come and believe on him Saint Paul useth the same reason why he would not preach with eloquent words because then he should convert none to Christ and if none be converted to Christ the death of Christ would be in vain and of none effect so say I if God did not send out his Messengers to beseech and perswade and command men to believe the death of Christ would be in vain The second reason is to shew forth the riches of Gods mercy and the abundance of his love to mankind the same motives he had to give Christ the same motives he hath to entreat men to believe and this is his love and this he sheweth to the elect that they might know the greatness and largeness of his love to them and to the wicked that the glory of his justice might appear in their damnation when they shall see that they have displeased and despised so gracious an offer The third reason is because it is acceptable to God that the Gospel should be obeyed that is that men should believe that they might live and not dye and therefore he saith he desireth not the death of a sinner and so are many speeches scattered in the Scripture Oh that my people would harken why will ye die O ye house of Israel these and many more sheweth that it is a thing very pleasing to God that men should not perish but that they come in and believe and live for ever But here may objections arise for when you hear that it is a thing pleasing to God that all men should believe here it may be objected How can these two stand together that God desires that men should believe and live and he it is that must give them ability to believe and yet doth not he hath it in his power to make them to believe and yet will not notwithstanding he expresseth in the forenamed places of scripture
to bee 296. Rules for the use of humane authority 305. John 14. 1. D. Our hearts should be established in the day of fear 327. Means to manage this duty ibid. Rom. 7. 23. D. There is a Law of sin in every mans nature inclining him to that which is evil 352. What this inclination is ibid. How a Law 353. How it warreth as a Law 354. D. 2. In every regerate man there is a contrary Law c. 360. Why called the law of the minde 361. USE To bewail our condition under this law in our members 368. How to know the law of natural conscence from the law of the minde in the regenerate 370. Philip. 2. 21. D. Every man ought to seek the things of Jesus Christ. 371. Reasons 375. How to know when we do the things of Christ faithfull 388. What it is to give our selves to Christ. 390. 2 Chron. 32. 24 25. D. Praier is the chief means to obtain any thing at Gods hand 397. USE To esteem that precious ordinance of prayer 398 Mercies without prayer nor blessings 399. What kind of prayer obtains blessings 400. D. 2. Gods answer to our praiers is to bee observed 402. 3. God ready to hear our prayers 405. 4. The Lord tenders a weak faith 406. 5. God expects thank fulnesse answerable to his mercies 407. Conditions of thank fulnesse 408. In what cases God expects extraordinary thanks 411. Rev. 22. 17. D. God invites sinners to come unto him 419 Reasons of it 420. Many Objections answered 421 422. USES 1. To take heed how we refuse Christ offered 426 2. Faith a grace very pleasing and acceptable to God 432. DIVINE MERCY MAGNIFIED Ephes. 3. 16. That he would grant you according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with might by his spirit in the inward man c. THese words are a part of the heavenly prayer which the Apostle makes for the Saints at Ephesus we may gather three observations out of them First That God is exceeding rich in mercy Secondly That his shewing mercy is his glory Thirdly That when we are to beg any thing at Gods hands we may use the motive that Saint Paul doth here unto God do it for the riches of thy glory or for the riches of thy mercy The first point That God is rich in mercy I have handled formerly and in what respect he is rich in mercy Therefore I shall now draw some consectaries from it One is to move men to câ—me in to God Because he is so infinitely rich in mercy When the Hue and Crye is made after the thief you know it makes him runne away the faster but the proclamation of pardon brings him in The Law and the judgements of God bring not men in of themselves but the promises of mercy win them to come in and this use we should make of the mercies of God to be moved and invited by them to come in and partake of them Secondly it offers a ground of humble confidence to all distressed and heavy loaden sinners God i ready to forgive and succour them because he is rich in mercy and not onely so but his mercy is exceeding precious for except these two go together a man cannot be said to be rich the thing must be precious and he must have much of it for to have much of that which is base and mean is not to be rich Now for as much as Gods mercy is precious and he is rich in it despise not therefore the precious mercies of God If God be rich in mercy if there be abundance of mercy in Iehovah then let us lay hold of this abundance and look after our portion in it This is another excellent use we are to make of it for to what end is it made known that God is rich in mercy or to what purpose is it manifested not that we should barely know it but that we should use it not that we should contemplate it in God but that we should enjoy it for our selves For this riches and mercie of God is not onely plenty but bounty not onely a treasure laid up in him but it is like a Common dose bestowed upon all the poor in the countrey all that will may come and take what they need this is the use you should make of the abundance of Gods mercie otherwise if you make no profitable nor Saving use of it what is it to you The apostle saith All Scripture is written for this end that we might have comfort now if it be true of all places of Scripture then it is true of these especially that declare the mercies of God it is that we may have comfort now what comfort is there to dwell by full barnes when a man may not partake of that fulness I say it is no comfort except you have your part in them So when you hear of the riches of the patience and long suffering of God what comfort is this to you except you take your part of them Therefore now I am to exhort you come and make your selves rich out of these riches let not the mercies of God be in vain to you but when you hear that God is rich in mercie let that move you to get an interest in it When we hear of riches and treasures it inflameth everie mans desire to have a part of them the riches of the land of Canaan drew the Israelites out of Egypt and the riches of the garners of Egypt made them goe downe thither in Iacobs time when there was a famin in Canaan What makes Merchants to take such dangerous voyages to the East and west Indies and to the furthest parts of the world but rich Commodities now when you hear that God is rich in mercie what use should we make of it but to take of these mercies There is enough to be had for the mercies that concern the outward man as riches honour longe life gold and silver he hath abundance you may take freely of them for the riches of the inward man he is rich in mercie full of grace and truth and you may take your fill of them he is rich in Comfort he hath fatlings and wine prepared in a word seeing there is so much mercie in God let it not be in vain to you let them not lye before you as if they did not concern you affectionately embracethem that you may have your part in them this is the use the scripture makes of the mercies of God St. Paul prayeth for the Ephesians that they might knowe what the riches of the glorie of his inheritance in the Saints is c His meaning is not onely that they should see them and look upon them for what were that to them but that they might take part of them and not onely have a mental but an experimental knowledge of them Why did Saint Paul preach the unsearchable riches of Christ but that men should have their desires stirred up to
what abundance of peace and wealth is for even these things we most esteem but this is not the thing for here we need no exhortation Secondly Spiritual mercies those are they we do not hunger after we are backward enough to desire them and therefore we have so few of them Therefore that which I must press upon you is to desire earnestly these spiritual mercies if you desire them much you shall have much of them for you must know before you have them God will teach you to know how precious they are for if he hath commanded us not to cast pearls before swine he himself will not cast the riches of his mercy before those that prize and regard them not As for instance forgiveness of sins and reconciliation with God this is a spiritual mercy this if you would hunger much after you should have it yea and according to the measure of your desires but when you prize it not that is it which keepeth it back you may say the like of all other mercies therefore prize them much that is be sensible of your misery without them call your sins to remembrance go over them summe them up and let your hearts stay and dwell upon the meditation of them give not over till you be touched with them and do this often we might be more humbled if we would take pains with our hearts but we slight it and do it overly as being an exercize needless and tedious but do it not so lâ—bour to get a sense of your sins that will make you prize the mercies of justification and reconciliation for this cause many thousands misse of the forgiveness of their sins it is not a thing they esteem much they do not strive and contend with God for it as a matter of such great moment whereas it is the preciousest mercy of all other it is the immediate door that openeth into the favour of God which is the cause of all other mercies and then no good thing can be withholden from you foâ— it is your sins that keep good things from you now if your sins were taken away what need you fear either diseases or death or revilings and disgraces for your profession or imprisonment or poverty if you had the forgiveness of your sins you might enjoy the prosperity you have freely and as for crosses either you shall be freed from them or else they shall be as serpents without a sting or as great bulks without burthen and weight this you should have if you had the forgiveness of your sins consider all this labour to sâ—t a price upon it and so for â—ll other mercies work your hearts to this to esteem the Mercies of God Again labour to see an excellency in them The same as I said of forgiveness the same may you say of love or of patience see the preciousness and excellâ—ncy of them the more you prize them the more you shâ—l have of them If you could beg for forgiveness as for life if you could reckon other things but as dross and dung in comparison of that as Saint Paul did which was nothiâ—g but the forgiveness of his sins you would be sure to have these mâ—râ—iâ—s but men do it not men live in prosperity in health and wealth and abundance of all things and such mercies as these they regard not forgiveness of sins reconciliation the gospel of Christ this they despise but we should prize these even then when they are nakedly propounded to us The reason we do it not is because we have not the sense of our misery What careth the innocent man for a pardon What careth a whole man for a medicine Mercy is the medicine of misery labor therefore to be sensible of your misery that you may partake of this mercy All the promises runne upon this condition all that are weary and heavy laden shall find rest Math. 11. The more weary any man is the more rest he shall have and so again the poor saith Christ receive the Gospel the more poor he is the more he shall receive and so he that hungreth and thirsteth after righteousness shall be filled the more you hunger and thirst the more you shall be filled In a word the more you desire the more you shall have The reason you have not these mercies is because you desire them not or else your desires are not strong for strong desires would bring forth strong endeavours and these would take spiritual mercies by force as it is said of the kingdom of heaven that it suffereth violence even so these violent desires would extort it from God by an holy earnestness A 2d way to be made partakers of the riches of Gods mercy is to believe them Adde to your desires a belief for believing is that which openeth the hand of God to give and openeth your hearts your hands to receive put but these two together to desire the mercies of God and to believe that God will give them and then open your mouthes wide God will fill them This I shal manifestly shew from these folowing places of scripture as we finde them often Go thy way thy faith hath made thee whole when Christ bestowed any mercy upon men that is added in the Gospel thy faith hath done it thy faith hath made thee whole if they were forgiveÌ„ they might thank their faith for it as it is the instrumental means to obtain the mercies of God the more faith the more mercies for we shal alwais find that by faith men obtained mercies and the want of faith missed them It is certain God is a merciful God you should finde him so if you could believe him to be so for the believing that he is merciful makes you partakers of the riches of his mercy because it is his pleasure to put it upon that condition he might have put it upon other conditions but this is his pleasure to say if you believe you shall have these and these mercies for faith knitteth us to him faith makes us to know him and makes us give him the glory of the mercies we have faith ascribes it wholy unto him it makes it every way to be his work faith makes us righteous now the righteous obtain mercy this faith is imputed for righteousnes God reckoneth every man the more righteous as he aboundeth in faith therefore the way to fill your selves with the riches of Gods mercy is to believe much and as you grow in faith so you shal grow from mercy to mercy if Christ could say to us as he did to the woman O woman great is thy faith we should be sure to have great mercies my meaning is this that beleiving is nothing else but this To be perswaded that God will be kinde and favourable to you that hispromises belong to you that he will pardon your sins and receive you into grace and favour with him that he loveth you and is your friend that he is ready to bestow
upon you the riches of his mercy now the more you can promise yourselves this from God the more you can expect it at his hands certainly the more you shall have of his mercy the less you do it the less you shall have if you do it not â—t all you shall have no mercy at all from God the more you can perswade your selves that God is mâ—rciful that he is loving and gracious and will be ready to do for you as you shall need the more of his mercy you sâ—all have according to the largeness of your faith so shall the largeness of the mercy â—â—e For evidence of this look into Heb. 11. the whole chapter shâ—weth what mercies faith bad what mercies Noah Abraham Moses and the Israelites had when they went through the red sea what mercies Samuel and David had the means they had to obtain al these mercies was their faith they beleived and therefore they had them you may there see how it is attributed to their faith The reason why they exceeded others in mercy was because they exceeded others in faith the reason why David was filled with mercy and goodness above others was because he attained to an higher pitch of faith then others Again the want of faith still hindred men from mercy and it is a good argument that is drawn from contraries now unbelief hindred Christs country-men from having any part in his miracles he could do nothing there because they beleived not it hindred the Israelites from that good land of promise they all died in the wilderness because they believed not so Mary she had like to have lost the raising of her brother Lazarus because she began to doubt for when Christ was upon the very point of doing the miracle and Mary she told him he had been dead four dayes Christ staied his hand and said to her Said I not to thee if thou believest c. as if he should say if thou believest not I will not do it The Apostles in the ship being ready to be overwhelmed with waves what was the cause because they doubted Why did ye doubt O ye of little faith Still mercies are kept from us for want of faith therefore it is true on the other side have faith and have mercy have faith in abundance and have mercy in abundance If you would have outward mercies do you believe that God is ready to give riches honour and life that is all a man can desire these God giveth to those that fear him believe this trust to it rest upon it Let Go I know you relie upon him for it the more yoâ— believe this the more you shall have even of these mercies And so for spiritual mercies hath he not promised to give his spirit to those that aske it and that great promise which he made when he ascended up on high that he would send down the holy Ghost the more you believe this the more of the spirit you shall have So for the forgiveness of sins the more you believe this the more assurance you shall have he hath promised to hear your prayers The more you can believe this the more you shall prevail in prayer In a word you know every one best what mercies you would have the more you believe that God is your father expecting it from his hands the more you shall have of any kinde of mercy As it was said of the faith of miracles if you have but faith you may say to this mountain be removed into the bottom of the sea it shal obey you the same may be said of justifying faith do but believe and this you shall enjoy for faith is not a bare opinion a bare perswasion for that is not operative to bring such mercies to you but faith seeth things that are not present as if present the things were before we believed them now God hath promised mercies in abundance they lie open to us the very believing of them is the taking and receiving of them God hath put them upon that Condition and not onely so but if you would have abundance of mercies add still to your faith therefore you have those words be it to thee according to thy faith that is if thy faith be great the mercies thou shalt have shall be great therefore you see now what use may be made of all that hath been said touching the riches of mercies that you might be convinced of this that according to your faith such shall your tastings be of the precious mercies of God the more you are perswaded of the greatness of his precious mercies accordingly shall you partake of them and accordingly will you look upon your selves as bound to obey and love him under the apprehension of his mercies The third meanes to obtain these riches of his mercy is humbly to rely upon the author of them as to desire much and to beleeve much so to depend upon him to wait upon him the more you do that the more readiness will you finde in him to shew you mercie I follow but the scriptures in this and set forth such mercies as is there set forth and this I take out of those places of scripture In thee the Fatherless and widow finde mercy God is still apt to help such as are in Prison and in a low degree Quest. what is the reason of that Ans. Bâ—cause such depend upon God such as have no other fathers to depend upon such are apt to depend upon God and he sheweth mercy to such not because they are fatherless but because they depend upon him So you have it exprest by the Apostle Widowes saith he that are left alone trust in God those saith he are widowes indeed they might have trusted in God while they had husbands but that is our weakness while we have other props we are apt to trust upon them but when they are taken from us we are apt to trust in God So the woman when she had spent all in Physicke then she came to Christ so if we depend upon him we shall be as the fatherl esse and widow that know not where else to have help This winneth God to you for dependance presupposeth trust for upon whom you depend upon him you trust now God will not fail those that trust in him for he hath put so much nobleness and ingenuity into the hearts of men that they will not fail those that put their trust in them now dependance is a trust in God therefore the more you depend upon God the more mercy you shall have he hath put that instinct into every Creature the hen you see covereth her chickens under her winges because they depend upon her He is worse then an Infidel saith the holy Apostle that doth not provide for his houshold because they depend upon him this is an instinct put into the very Infidels If God have put this instinct into the Creature will he not do it himself He
Now consider what is the reason that every man for the most part serves other things and not the Lord it is because they think they give better wages then God doth you think you shall fare the better if you serve such a man you think your riches will do you a better turn then if you should fix your eyes onely upon God you think your credit will do you more good then if you served the Lord you think your lusts will give you more content then if you applied your self wholly to Gods service Therefore if you would amend this fault draw your hearts from the creature to the creator and consider that he is exceeding merciful that he is rich in mercy you shall not lose your labour for he is a good master he hath a good eye that is he considereth what his servants are and looks upon them with a pittiful eye and is ready to help them at every need and therefore as it is said of the kings service no service to his so it may be said of the Lords no service to his all his servants have found it so otherwise as it is said of the believers in Heb. 11. they had opportunity to return again but they found the Lords service to be the best the present wages he giveth are better then the wages that the world giveth or that our lust giveth u besides what is laid up for us for eternity In a word if we could perswade you to this that God is rich in mercy to his servants you would do all you did with respect to him To the end therefore that we might perswade you we will draw you to particulars you shall see that there are in God all the properties of a good master which may perswade you to give up your selves to his service First He is ready to take any thing at a servants hand that he can do he looks not altogether for exactness if they do but little so long as it proceeds from a pure heart he accepteth of it and therefore as it was said of Daniel though he was sick yet he was about the kings business even so the saints and servants of God have sick souls oftentimes yet notwithstanding if they go about the Lords business if they put their hands but to the work and do but shew their desire to it the Lord considereth it and takes it in good part for God is a loving and a wise master one that is loving he seeth what his servants can perform as it is in Psalm 103. he knoweth wherefore we are made and therefore will exact no more at our hands then we are able to do Again he is a wise master he knoweth with whom he hath to deal and therefore though we are not so exact in holiness yet if we serve him in sincerity though with much weakness he accepteth it see how he did in this case with Iob Iob you know in his afflictions mingled with his patience much impatience as the cursing the day of his birth and wishing for death c. yet notwithstanding see how God maketh mentioÌ„ of him in the Epistle of St. Iames Iames. 5. 11 Have you not heard of the patience of Iob So David a man subject to many and great failings yet God passeth by all and accepts of him and giveth him this report that he was a man after his own heart and did fulfill his pleasure This is one property that is in God Secondly he is a kinde master ready to grant what his servants shall ask at his hands he hath made them such a promise Ask what you will and it shall be given to you Thirdly If they do offend in any thing as what servants are there properly but they do offend if they be lesser and ordinary infirmities he passeth them by as if he saw them not if they be greater sins that they commit he is ready to pardon them if they confesse and forsake them Fourthly if they fall into any misery if into sickness of body he tendreth them in their sickness he makes their bed soft in their sickness that is he sweeteneth their afflictions if they fall into any trouble of any kinde he knoweth their soul in adversity Men are ready to forget us in adversity but the Lord knoweth us so in poverty I know thy poverty saith God to the angel of the church of Smyrna In a word in all outward afflictions he looks upon them tendereth them and regardeth them many others masters care not for their servants much when they are weak and sick but God tendereth his servants in all their afflictions Fifthly He casteth not off an old servant though he do ran into divers transgressions and often provoke him to anger with men one fault or infirmity in a servant causeth a breach yea ten years service is often lost with one failing with one contrary action but God doth not so he casteth not off an old servant but makes a sure covenant with him even the sure mercies of David that is even as he shewed mercy to David though he was unconstant and failed grievously yet he had sure mercies the like hath every one of his servants Sixthly he observeth all that they do there is not an action or worke that they do in which they lose their labour I know thy work saith God to the angel of the Church in Thyatira and thy charitie and thy faith and thy patience c. not any thing that we do for God but he observeth and rewardeth it not the least thing we suffer for him but he considereth it and giveth an hundred fold even in this life not a good action that we perform but shall do us good one time or other not a prayer we make or any thing we do in sinceritie of heart but the Lord remembreth it though we forget it and that is a great comfort to a servant all that ever he hath done evill in shall be forgotten but not a good action but shall be remembred and recompensed â—nd not onely to him shall be a recompense but to is pâ—steritiâ— also many a servant is well rewarded by his master or his time but it may be his children are never the better for it but I have been young and now am old saiâ—h David yet never saw I the righteous for saken or their seed begging bread Seventhly if he do châ—stise his servants it is with much gentleness and lenity he lays no more on then needs must no more then is for their profit no more then they can well â—ear You shall finde this excellently exprest in Psalm 78. Many a time turned he his anger away and did noâ—â—â—ir up all his wrath for he remembred that they were but flesh c. They offended many times and provâ—ked him to wrath even so that he was ready to strike yet he turned a way his anger many a time that is often-times they deserved
affliction â—ut he would not afflict them Again when he did afflict them yâ—t he layd it not on heavy he stirred not up all his wrath for he remembred they were but flesh Lastly his servants are defended by him he avengeth their quarrel he Keepeth them in safety Luk 18. Will he not avenge his elect that pray day and night unto him I tell you saith Christ that he will avenge them quickely he reproveth kings for their sakes as it is in the Psalm Touch not mine annointed c. It may be said of the Saints that they are all annointed he hedgeth them about he keepeth them as the apple of his own eye A man you know will not suffer the apple of his eye to be touched in any wise such a master is God and such a master shall you finde him to be If then he be a master thus rich in mercy then serve no other master serve not your lâ—sts and those by-respects that you doe in your actions but give up your selves unto God Consecrate your bodies and souls unto him remember what wages he giveth and make that use of it to serve him with a Chearful heart Last of all to conclude this point If God be so rich in mercy then this will follow from it certainly he will deal well with his church he will deale well with every particular Saint in his a fflictions for he is rich in mercy that is he is of a mercifull nature and can do nothing contrarie to his nature but all his wayes are mercy and truth we had need to draw this use from this doctrine because the wayes of God seem somewhat strange to flesh and blood he seemeth to deal hardly with his church and children But my brethren it is not so for he is of a merciful nature therefore all his wayes not a way he goeth not an action he doth about his own but it is full of mercy and truth First for the Church because hee seemeth to deal hardly with the church yet let us learn to be assured that he is still of a merciful nature though he may afflict them for a time yet he will in the end deal well with them he cannot otherwise chuse that is the church in the end shall rise again though it seem for the present to be fallen Excellent is that place to this purpose in Zach. 12. 3 4 5 6. verses where the Lord putteth together three similitudes to shew the success of the churches affliction The Church saith he seemeth to be swallowed up for a time as if the enemies had devoured it as if there were an end of it but it is compared to the devouring of a cup of poison now you know a cup of poison though it do not as soon as it is received bring the body to dissolâ—tion yet notwithstanding in the end when it hath had its full time of working it destroyeth the whole body Even so will the church be to those that devour it though for a time it seemeth not to work yet in the end it shall bring destruction to all the people Again men seem to overthrow the church as one that setteth his shoulder against a great stone to overthrow it but in the end the stone falleth back again and crusheth him to pieces So doth God deal with the church men seem sometimes almost to overthrow it it seemeth sometime to be at the point of utter undoing but yet neverthelesse it falleth back again upon them like a mighty stone too heavy and weighty for them that meddle with it Even so shall the enemies of the church be ruinated and crushed with it Last of all the church seemeth to be covered with the enemies and to be prest down with them as a few coals are pressed down with an heap of wood such a pressure seemes the Church to be under sometimes yet you know though the coals be few yet a little fire will devour all that wood this you shal find to be the issue of the church in thus it was with Ierusalem and thus you shall find it to be with the Churches that seem now to be overprest and overthrown and swallowed up with the enemies it shal be as a cup of poison to destroy the enemy as a mighty stone to crush them in pieces as a fire in the midst of a bundle of wood to devour them This you may the rather take notice of because our adversaries use it as an argument And Bellarmine amongst the rest useth it as a special argument against our churches and a confirmation of the truth of theirs viz. the many victories they have had against us but this is but a weak argument The people of the Iews were more afflicted then all their Neighbors and there is good reason for Gods dealings so with his own Church Men you know plow the field that belongeth to themselves let others alone men take their own Children and correct them oftentimes the children of strangers they meddle not with and if this be true of particular Christians that if they be sons they must be chastned must it not be true also of the whole Church which is nothing but a company of those that are his children let not this therefore trouble you God will be merciful to them in the end for he is of a merciful nature he cannot as we said before otherwayes chuse This a man in particular may apply to himself men when they are in trouble or under some affliction are apt presently to say O I shall be alwayes thus I shal never see better dayes my brethren this is a great fault in us But to keep to the matter in hand the way to comfort-you is to remember that God is of a merciful nature he will not take his children at advantage but he considereth what they are able to bear and so dealeth tenderly with them for he knoweth what they are that they are but flesh therefore will deal with them according to their strength for he is a merciful God So likewise for things you want and complain of still remember this that God is merciful But it will be objected we see God is not so rich in mercy to all the saints as you speak of many of his own children are poor they are beneath and not above mean in gifts and mean every way where is then the riches of his mercie Again many of his children are sorely afflicted who have worse entertainment in the world then they upon whom are afflictions more heaped then upon those that serve God with an upright heart We will answer this briefly to begin with the first you must know that though God be exceeding rich in mercy yet there is a difference amongst his children that is he hath made divers degrees amongst men men are put into different degrees of mercy notwithstanding all do taste of the riches of his mercy you know in the body there is the foot
of those that perish though he be rich in mercy yet his mercy contradicteth not his libertie he hath a libertie to do what he pleaseth having a soveraigntie over all creatures he is free to chuse more or fewer to his kingdom as he pleaseth and to exercise his severitie as he will Lastly in that it is said hee reapeth where he doth not sow I answer he doth not reape where he doth not sow and therefore in that he sheweth not himselfe a hard master for there are none condemned for more then is revealed to them the Gentiles that had no more then the law of nature revealed to them they are condemned for no more but for the breach of the law of nature If the Gospel never came amongst them it shall never be required at their hands And so the Jews those amongst them that had no more but the old testament made known to them shall never be condemned for rejecting the Gospel but for the breach of that law which they had So Christians as their means have been more as their light is more as more truth hath been revealed to them so God will require more at their hands as he soweth more seed so he will look for a greater Crop at the harvest amongest Christians those that are ignorant if there be no fault in themselves he will not punish for that they know not his will A Second answer to this is that there is a great difference if we consider the manner of Gods shewing mercy for First the primarie intent of God was to shew mercy to all the creatures to men and angels both now the execution of his wrath came in by the way as it were and by occasion that when his mercy took no place then there was a place found for his justice First he began with mercy he set the angels in a hapy condition Justice now came in when his mercy took no place so to mankinde he first began with mercy and set him in a happy estate if mercy might have taken place there had been no room or his wrath for as we say of bees that naturally they give honey they sting not but when they are provoked so God naturally propensely and readily sheweth mercy to the Creatures he never exerciseth his wrath but when we offend him by our words or works Thirdly You must consider that God is exceeding rich in mercy in that he offereth mercy to mankinde it lieth manifested to all if they will not take it it detracts not from his mercy now all mankinde hath had mercy manifested to them it lyeth open to them if they take it not it is not because he is not rich in mercy but because they will not accept it Fourthly He is merciful even to evil men to them he declareth the riches of his patience and long suffering to bear with them from day to day to feed them to cloath them to preserve them and yet they make conscience of nothing their lives are a continual rebellion against him is not here therefore a great deal of mercy manifested Doth he not as the Apostle saith bear with much patience the vessels of wrath fitted for destruction Last of all put together the manner of the execution of his wrath and of his mercy and you shall see this difference look what wrath there is executed in the world and you may thank your selves for it The congregation of Corah the text saith Numb 16. destroyed themselves Mercy is not so that cometh from God the day spring from on high hath visited us Luke 1. Thy Destruction is of thy selfe oh Israel saith the Prophet but we may thank him for his mercy the wages of sin is death that cometh as our due debt but the guift of God is eternal life that cometh freely Again the justice of God is but even measure the just wages of an hireling just no more then our sins deserve but the mercy of God runneth over the brink as a mighty sea over his bounds so doth not the other therefore his mercy is exceeding great conclude it therefore and set it down in your own hearts be perswaded of it your selves and be ready to glorify him before the sons of men Last of all the use of this point shall be this that if it be the glory of God to be merciful then labour to imitate his mercy for every excellent thing that is glorious is worthy to be imitated therefore imitate God in this so the scripture would have us be you merciful as your heavenly father is merciful and so again Col. 3. as the elect of God put on tender mercy that is if God be merciful be you merciful likewise and so Ephes 1. forgive one another And why as dear children be you followers of God c. he is so therefore be you so make this use therefore of Gods being merciful be you merciful as he is merciful that is consider the miseries of others and wherein you may be helpful to them and be ready to shew them mercy upon any occasion As it is the glory of God to shew mercy so as Solomon saith it is the glory of a man to passe by an infirmity that is to passe by the faults of others to shew mercy to them to forgive them and not to take things in the worst sence this is acceptable to God for mercy pleaseth him far better then Sacrifice all the duties that you perform to God though you serve him in all the parts of his worship yet put these and shewing of mercy unto men together and he esteemeth mercy to man before all for Isay 58. 6. when the people had fasted and performed those duties to the full yet notwithstanding God makes this exception Is this the fast that I have chosen is it not to break every yoake to relieve the oppressed to shew mercy c. therefore my brethren be readie to shew mercy for in so doing you shall imitate God that is it which indeed makes you good men every man would be a good man now goodness standeth in this to be merciful for goodness is but a relative terme and it standeth in conformity with the chiefest good So carry your selves therefore that you may be counted good men that you may have a good eye which is nothing but this to be ready to do good to those whom you see in miserie herein your goodness consisteth all that you do without it is not accepted whatsoever goodness you do unto men if it be without mercy if it proceed not from that as it is said of love if you give your body to be burned and yet have not love it is nothing So it may be said of mercy God acaccepteth of no action that you performe unlesse it come from mercy labour therefore to have a mercifull heart that so all your works may come from a good principle for actions are not good except they come from some grace
within I speake of those actions which are actions of mercy be you mercifull therefore as your heavenly father is for that is a sign that you have the same spirit that he hath when God cometh into the heart of any man he receiveth the spirit of the father And therefore as you would have a witnesse and testimony to your selves that you are the sons of God be you merciful There is a natural mercy I confess found in those that have not mercy indeed but this God accepteth not because such mercies are but counterfeit to the true mercy Labour to be merciful as God is to abound in mercy that every one may fare the better for you wherever you dwell and whatsoever you doe let all your actions be works of mercy so will God accept them and be ready to render mercy to you again INWARD STRENGTH The desire of a Christian. Text EPHES. 3. 16. That you may be strengthened by the spirit in the inward man THese words are a part and indeed the sum of that excellent and divine prayer that Paul made for the Ephesians the principal thing that the Apostle prays for is this that they may be strengthened by the spirit in the inward man and this the Apostle sets down in such a manner that he answereth all doubts that might hinder the Ephesians from obtaining this gracious priviledge For first they might demand this of Paul you pray that we may be strong in the inward man but how or what means shall we use to get this strength the Apostle answereth to this and tels them the means to be strong in the inward man is to get the spirit that you may be strengthened by the spirit in the inward man Secondly but they might demand But how shal we do to get the spirit The Apostle answereth to this you must pray for him for your selves as I do for you for I pray that he would grant you the spirit that you may be strengthened in the inward man and thus you must do for your selves be earnest in prayer to get the spirit which he hath promised to those that ask it Thirdly They might demand but what should move God to give us his spirit and to hear our prayers To this he answers that the moving cause is the riches of his glory that you may be strengthened in the Inward man Fourthly they might demand yea but what shall we be the better for this strength if we get it To this the Apostle answereth in the verses following then saith he you shall be able to comprehend with all saints what is the length and the height the depth and the breadth of the riches of the love of God towards you in Christ. Now in that the Apostle above all other good that he wisheth unto them prayes for this that they may be strengthened by the spirit in the inward man I gather this point That which is to be desired of every Christian and to be earnestly sought for is this that they may be strengthened in the Inward man I gather it thus Saint Paul was now to pray for some special good to the Ephesians and considering what might be most profitable and advantagious he makes choice of this above all other good things making it the sum and substance of his prayer that you may be strengthened by the spirit in the inward man I shall not need to prove this by any other places of scripture because the place in hand sufficiently proves the point as being the main scope and intent of the spirit of God in this place to shew the necessity of this doctrine of strengthening the inward man But for the fuller explaning of this point we will first shew you what this strength is and then wee will come to the uses There is therefore a twofold strengthening 1 There is first a natural 2. There is a supernatural Strength First I say there is a Natural strength and this is when a man is naturally strong or able either in the parts of his body or in the guifts of his minde as for example a man that hath a strong memory this is a natural strength or in other qualities of the minde or else when a man is strong in the parts of his body these are natural strengths but this is not the strength that is here meant Secondly there is a Supernatural strength and this is two fold The first is a Supernatural strength which is received from the evil spirit which is when Satan shall joyn with the spirit of a man and adds a Supernatural strength and so makes him to doe more or suffer more then otherwise by Nature he were able to doe With this spirit are all the enemies of the Church strengthened Paul himself before he was committed was strengthened by this spirit Some men have more then a natural strength to undergo torments and yet not to shrink at them but this is not the strength here meant But there is a Second supernatural strength which comes from the sanctifying spirit whereby a Christian is able to do more then naturally he could doe and this is the strength which is here meant in this place and with this strength all the Saints are strengthened that is this was the strength that Eliah Stephen Iohn Baptist the Apostles and the rest had this made them speak boldly in the name of Christ. But you shall the better understand what this strength is if you doe but consider the particulars which are these The first particular wherein this spiritual strength is seen is this if a man chearfully thrive under many afflictions that is when they can rejoyce under great troubles and tryals they have this strength as Acts 5. 41. it is said of the Apostles that they departed from the Councel rejoycing that they were thought worthy to suffer rebuke for the name of Christ he that bears some troubles hath some strength but to bear great troubles is required great strength that is to stand fast to Christ to profess his name as the holy Ghost saith in Rev. 2. 13. there where Satan hath his throne must needs be a great Supernatural work of the spirit The Second particular is this in the hour of temptation when the storms arise and the flouds lift up their voyce the heart is stablished being founded upon the rock so that the gates of hell cannot prevail against it all Satans darts fall upon such a state as an arrow upon a rock the heart is fixed like mount Zion The third particular wherein this spirituall strength is seen is this when a man doth believe though hee have all reason and strength against him this is to be strong in the inward man but to go further that you may the better know what this strength is I wil give you a definition of it It is a general good disposition or right habit a temperature or a due frame of the mind wherby it is enabled to
Rom. 6. 1. the Apostle abhors even so much as to think of his former conversation to live in the corruption of it They that have this faith indeed there is an uproar as it were in their hearts against sin and when they are overtaken and stumble 2 Cor. 7. oh how careful are they to repent and pray to God to be washed from their sins And all this may serve to shew what kind of persons they be even the most fearful to sin and careful to please God of all others Paul after he was converted would rather never eat then he would justly offend his Brother and all because God had given him this triumphing faith This care and fear should be in all of us for he that is bold in sin say what he will he finds not this faith nor can triumph in it Sixthly It a man have this then is he the most forward unto and fruitfulness and abounding in good works above all others in the world for this faith it transplants and sets us being by nature wilde olives into Christ the true Vine who is no barren root but fruitful 2 Cor. 9. this we may see in the believing Corinthians charity he speaks of there and in the woman that cast all that she had into the Treasury and in Zacheus that gave half his goods to the poor faith opened his heart that before was nigardly and so Iohn 12. how did Mary pour out the ointment and that good woman Act. 9. 36. so full of chastity so also Acts 2. 4. they were now content all should be for Christ. Now these examples with many more are all set down for our learning and imitation if we will find indeed such a faith as will save our souls another day Seventhly he that hath this insulting faith he doth already conquer his enemies he finds the power of it dayly in giving him victory in some kind over his in-dwelling sin and strengthening him against the world and temptations leading him to sin though he find them not fully conquered yet is not his heart so fully and altogether taken up but that he hath some freedom in the midst of all the affairs and businesses of this world to set some time apart for Divine exercises to honour God he is not a slave to the world 1 Iohn 1. 5. this faith lifts him so up as he is above the dominion of the world though he may be often foiled yet gets he up again and gets ground of lusts daily and is not as many that are led away and made slaves to their pleasures profits c. This faith gets victory over the immoderateness of recreations and delights in some sort Lastly This faith 't is no phantasie of a mans brain but that which Gods Word is the ground of and therefore he that hath it it makes him receive the Ministers testimony to Gods Word which is true Now this faith it carries life in it whereby a man may know he hath it the Scripture is manifest for this Gal. 2. 20. The life that I live is by faith in the Son of God Hab. 2. 4. The just shall live by his faith and that righteousness which brings into Gods presence and favour it hath a light within which consists 1. In that if thou hast this triumphing faith then thou hast a sweet apprehension of Gods favour by an inward feeling of a reconciliation with an angry God whom thou hast so offended 2. In some peace of Conscience 3. Unspeakable joy in the Holy Ghost even when the world sets against thee and sorrows oppress thee 4 In a change a new creature the Dâ—vils image defaced and the Image of God that was lost restored 5. It shews it self also in warranting thy actions and letting thee see that the thing thou dost in regard of the substance is good also it covers the defects of thy actions in Christ and tells thee that God accepts of thy poâ—r endeavours in him and hereupon it is that Gods children when they find God reconciled to them and themselves once brought into his favour are so stirred up to good works and prayer also in afflictions that it is which keeps the heart close to God in his promises neither tying God to time means nor manner but waiting patiently for deliverance This faith also it hath his sence an eye an ear a hand c. likewise its voice both inward and outward when God sayes believe it makes a man find a spirit within sayâ—ng Lord I believe indeed it makes him also outwardly with the Publican confess his sin and wretchedness as also how doth a true believer pray he not onely speaks but even speaks because he doth believe Now of the lets to this faith there are a world of hindrances the Devil blows into the brains of men by ordinary conceits arising in their imaginations to hinder and keep them from such a faith as may assure their hearts that there is no condemnation belonging to them and so go on cheerfully about their business having all their wants supplied And there is indeed no Christian that is in Christ that can possibly be clean without them onely the difference is some have more some less but let us all well weigh them and they will appear all but conceits and to have no reality and truth in them 1. Now the first of these is That it is presumption which is a conceit the Papists take up and is in us all so far as we are naturally Popish we think this faith is but a presumption yet this is but a meer conceit for if we have faith it assures us through Christ that nothing can destroy us All presumption is either upon a mans own merit or Gods mercies as Divines acknowledge Now that faith doth neither of these it is plain for he first that knows Christ according to his Word layes hold on Christs merits and Gods mercy in him and so applies and rests thereupon before God labouring to bring forth fruit and so is assured of Gods love And this is no presum tion for he relies not upon his own merits but Christs 2. This faith builds not on Gods mercy at large but on his mercy in Christ he believes on him that hath satisfied Gods justice and therefore knows that God cannot but must needs shew mercy If this were presumption who would seek after it to lose his labour but this the Lord commands and therefore it is no presumption but obedience and duty to do it Nay if thou shouldst not seek after this faith and assurance it were a neglect and contempt of the Commandement of God A second impediment that keeps men from seeking this faith is a conceit that it is impossible ever to get it and this sticks too much in our unbelieving hearts and is strongly rooted in our ignorant Protestants that give themselves to other Books but not to the careful and conscionable reading of Gods Book
and that is done by delivering the signs of the vice we reprove In diseases we see not the Radices but the Symptomes of it so we see not sin in the heart but in the practice Therefore signs are good 4. Let reproof be renewed not naked as it is drawn from the Text but with other reasons to make us afraid of committing it as from the danger the consequents the effects and Gods judgements on such sins and here if speeches be edged with Rhetorick to make a division between the marrow and the bones it shall be fitly done 5. The secret reasons must be answered that keep men in the practice of sin for if there be but one objection unanswered the reproof will not fasten on them for no man sinneth but by false reasons therefore they are called deceitful lusts and this is required 2 Cor. 10. 4. The weapons of our warfare are spiritual casting down imaginations the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 6. Let such medicable rules be prescribed as may keep men from it 4. In exhortation to some vertue or to the performance of some duty this is absolved in five degrees 1. Let the vertue exhorted be commended to the people and set forth in the beauty of it that so they may be stirred up to love and like it 2. Let it be shewed how defective men are in practise of it for men are as ready to arrogate in that as to derogate in other things to think they have it when they have it not And this is done two ways First by bringing down that duty to particulars more motes are seen in a little of the Sun-shine then in the whole shade Secondly by describing the particular speeches and actions of men shewing the difference between them and this discovereth the disagreement in the minds of men 3. Let exhortations be renewed not simply but with motives to stir up to embrace the vertues and to this it is needful that we use a cloud of arguments let the speech be framed with such figures as becomes it So that First it be with gravity secondly with concealing of art 4. Let the false reasons be shewed that keep us from embracing of it for either we think the practice of it brings into danger or difficulty therefore let these be done away 5. Shew them the way the means how they may go on as if it be demanded what ground of Scripture for this I answer for interpreting and dividing the Word we have precepts the working of it is from example only let these cautions be added First In all points this kind of handling is not to be used for sometime Explications Reasons or Consectary may be omitted as occasion serve these transitions are not alwayes manifested but so the right rule be known we may put them together as it seem good I should have added several other directions but I must defer them till another time AN ANTIDOTE AGAINST HEART-FEARS JOHN 14. 1. Let not your hearts be troubled THe point that we delivered out of these words was this That It is the will and advice of Christ our Lord and Master that our hearts should be established and not be troubled in the day of fear Now after we had delivered the reasons of this point we came then to set down some means how we might be capable of this advice and instruction that our Lord and Saviour perswades us unto Some of the means I have already opened unto you four we handled in the fore-noon The first was to set our selves another task another employment and so divert our thoughts and affections from fears about these outward things This point we opened at large and shewed what effect it took in the case of Saint Paul and other Christians Heb. 10. In Abraeham and his family in removing out of the Land where he had possessions being he was mindful of another possession in Heaven and regarding not the possessions he left Again a second means we delivered was this to get a clear light to burn by us that so we be not mistaken in the apprehension of things for this ground was here delivered that nothing works upon the heart and affections of a man according to the truth of it but evermore according to the apprehension Indeed if the apprehension be joyned with truth then it works according to the truth of it or else the apprehension stirs up the affections As in that example Mark 6. 49. The disciples were troubled when they saw Christ himself supposing that he had been a spirit A third means that we delivered and opened at large in the fore-noon was to take heed of promising our selves great matters from the things of this world for this is a truth when a mans hopes lift him up to Heaven if he be disappointed of this home he is thrown down to Hell Therefore we should use the things of the world as if we used them not according to Saint Pauls exhortation then when a man useth them as if he used them not he will be as if he had them not Other things I added for the opening of this point Fourthly The last thing that I touched in the fore-noon it was this to labour to be humbled labour I say to be humbled under the hand of God for as it is said a froward proud heart finds nothing good nothing that it is contented with but it will pick quarrels with God measure out what portion he will So on the contrary a spirit that is truly humbled finds nothing but that which is good Whatsoever God affords a man that is truly humbled he takes it for a great savour and mercy I opened that place Isay. 49. the Lord saith the pastures of his people should be in the High wayes and on the tops of the Mountains There is the poorest feeding of all the grass is the shortest there is nothing to be gotten yet sheep will live and do well with such feeding where the fat oxen would be starved so a poor and mean Saint will pick a contented life where a proud heart gets nothing but vexation and trouble We proceed to a fifth means for there are three more The fifth means we must add which ought to take place before any other and that is it which the Apostle speaks of Ephes. 6 10. be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might What is that that is account and esteem the power of the Lord as your own Now if a man had so much strength and power of his own as the Lord hath he would make no question that any man should be able to encounter with him or any trouble or temptation in the world Now if we were perswaded that the power and strength that God hath were ours that he would be ready to put it out for our comfort and deliverance that would stablish our hearts as David saith be strong and he shall stablish your hearts be
Apostle Paul 2 Cor. 5. he gives this reason why he sought the things of Christ with the neglect of himself The Love of Christ constraineth me saith he As if he should say though I undergoe much scorn and discredit and losse in the world yea I am content to be thought to be out of my wits to be accounted any thing for the love of Christ constraineth me that is it makes me ready to do any thing seeing it is for Christ and his advantage I am willing to be so accounted of Now how came he to this love of Christ why thus we judge saith he that if Christ died for us c. So that if you would bring your hearts not to seek your own things but the things of Jesus Christ you must labour to have your hearts enflamed with the love of Christ and that you may do so use the means that Saint Paul layeth down he died for me he is worthy of it he deserves it of me he hath done this and this for me therefore there is reason I should no longer live to my selâ— therefore there is reason I should seek his things that I should do his work Thus to stir up our hearts to love the Lord Jesus is the means â—o prepare us to seek him And so you see the business we have to do we are to seek the things of the Lord Jesus willingly diligently and faithfully And also what it is that prepares and disposeth the heart so to do First to give up our selves to Christ. Secondly to labor to have it kept in the purpose of our hearts Thirdly to have faith in the promises and providence of God Lastly to have Love to the Lord Jesus And so much for this point and for this time PRAYERS PREVALENCY 2 CHRON. 32. 24 25. And in those dayes Hezekias was sick unto the death and he prayed to the Lord who spake to him and gave him a sign but Hezekias did not render according to the mercies bestowed upon him but his heart was lifted up and wrath came upon Israel WE made some entrance into these words in the morning In those dayes Hezekiah was sick to the death Those words we have done withall And he prayed to the Lord hence we observed this That Prayer is the chief means to obtain any thing at Gods hands It was the means whereby Hezekiah obtained his recovery when he was sick to the death So it is a general rule that prayer is the chiefest means of all other to obtain any thing at Gods hands The reasons of it we gave in the morning we came to apply it And the first Use was this If it be the chiefest means of all other therefore we should learn to esteem of our prayers more then we do to set them at a higher rate to know what the efficacy of prayer is When prayers are performed in a customary negligent manner when men think it may be they will be answered and it may be they will not it may be they will do them good it may be not no marvel if they misse of the effect If men did believe that prayer were so effectual to bring their enterprizes to passe they would surely be more frequent and fervent in this duty We shewed you in the morning what the efficacy of prayer was we purpose to repeat nothing Onely there is an objection or two that we will answer and so passe from this point First This may be objected how can prayer be so effectual a means to obtain any thing at Gods hands when the Lord is purposed to do what he will do and how can the intreaty of a weak man change the purpose of God or altar his mind he knows what we have need of before-hand before we ask and God is subject to no alteration To this I answer It is true when we seek to the Lord by prayer he is not changed by any of our petitions that we make to him but the change is wrought upon us because we are made more fit to receive mercy from him then before we were As for example When a patient desires his Physician to give him a cordial to give him some restoring physick something that is pleasant to him The Physician delayes and defers he will not for the present hearken to his request at length he doth it Why is it not because the Physician is altered but because there is an alteration in the patient he is now purged and vomitted his body is cleansed and so made fit to receive the cordial therefore the Physician yields to his request there is some suitablenesse now between him and the physick which he requires there is no alteration in the Physician but in the patient So when we seek any thing at Gods hands we do not cause him to alter his mind but there is a change wrought in us so that when we think we bring God to us by our prayers we rather bring our selves to God That is when we contend with God in prayer and use arguments to perswade him those arguments perswade our selves to repentance to faith to more obedience and willingnesse to serve him and so our hearts are drawn more near to him when we think we draw God near to us in this action we draw our selves near to him and when our hearts are drawn near to him when our faith is strengthened by the arguments that we use then the Lord is moved to do that which before he was not moved to do Not because he is altered or any way changed but because the change is in us we are more fit to receive the mercy that we beg for then before Again Secondly it may be objected many obtain mercies and blessings at Gods hands without prayer therefore it seemes that prayer is not so great a means to obtain mercies because they are ours sometimes without prayer I answer it is true men may have and have usually many great mercies bestowed upon them without prayer but there is a great deal of difference because that mercy which is obtained by prayer it comes with a blessing and it comes by vertue of the promise that the Lord hath made And it is one thing to receive the same mercy in a way of blessing and another thing to receive it iâ—…n ordinary course The same comfort may come to one man with a blessing and may be conveyed to another man with a curse There is a two-fold way of Gods bestowing of mercies One is when he conveyes them to a man by vertue of a promise Another is when he bestowes them by a common providence When God dispenseth mercies by a common providence thou must not think thy self to be such a gainer in the receiving of such a mercy when thou hast not sought the Lord for it it may be thou hast more cause to judge thy self better in the want of that mercy Ahab had been better to have wanted a vineyard Ieroboam
particular sinne in thee It may be God doth it for the tryal of thee It is good for thee to observe When any thing falls upon men amisse and contrary to their expectation or to their prayers they are ready to attribute it to other causes it is good rather to say that thou hast prayed amisse and that is the cause of it When a man is distempered in his health either he will say that he hath not taken physick or else it was not physick fit for him it is still forgotten whether he hath prayed to God or whether he hath prayed amisse In Iames 4. there the cause is given you have either not prayed or prayed amisse you ask and receive not because you ask amisse therefore you do not obtain It may be I say that that may be the cause why thy prayers are not heard that thou prayest amisse Therefore you should do in this case as a fisher-man doth that hath cast a bait and hath waited long and nothing taken he takes up the angle and sees whether or no the bait be well placed and whether things be in the right order or no. When we see we do not obtain any thing at Gods hands by our prayers that we have sought the Lord and got no answer let us look well to our prayers and see whether there be not something amisse there Besides it may be when thou prayest thou art mistaken in the thing thou askest it may be the thing thou desirest is not good for thee for there are many cases wherein we seek to the Lord wherein we are perswaded that if we had it it would be good for us but if it were granted it may be it would be our undoing The Lord denies many things to a man in mercy as he grants many things to men in judgement It may be thy great advantage that though thou pray and pray earnestly yet thy requests are denied Again it may be the Lord hath done the thing but in another manner then thou expectest many times the same thing is done though not in the same fashion A man desires money and riches it may be the Lord denies him that and gives him meat and drink and cloathing A man desires his enemies may be at peace with him God denies him this it may be but he gives him a helmet to bear it off and so for other things I say it is to be considered that the Lord may do the same thing in another manner though it be not in the same kind that we expect Besides God may do it by another means then we look for Commonly we pitch upon some means which we think if it fail all is gone but the Lord may go another way to work I will instance no more in these things for this is not the thing that I must stand upon Onely I say that when we make our prayers to God we must consider what answer we have of them And this we should do upon this occasion of Thanksgiving when we have sought to the Lord in prayer and fasting as we have done we are now to consider what answer the Lord hath given he hath removed the judgement we must set it down among the memorandums of his mercy that he hath heard our prayers and healed our land But I say I must not stand upon this The second thing that is to be observed is this And the Lord spake to him Observe that When we pray to the Lord he is exceeding ready to hear As we see he was ready hear to hear Hezekiah And so David and Asa and Iehoshaphat so he will do to us to the end of the world when men seek to him Onely this must be considered that the Lord hath an ear open to our prayer but if it be no prayer if it be but a lip-labour if it want the conditions of prayer the Lord rejects it And this is not because he hearkens not to it but because it is no prayer Therefore make account when thou goest about to pray that God doth encline his ear to hear that is he doth not onely hear the prayers of his servants but also of those that are carnal men of those that are strangers and that are without the covenant as yet As you shall see 2 Chron. 12. It is said that Rehoboam and the Princes humbled themselves and sought to to the Lord and Rehoboam was not upright hearted yet because he and the Princes did humble themselves the Lord did not destroy them but sent them deliverance So did he to Ahab he heard him And so it may be the Lord hath done with us in removing this judgement though it may be our prayers and our humiliation and fasting have been but overly and perfunctory yet it may be the Lord hath heard us for he is ready to hear prayers Although mens hearts be not humbled aright in their prayers yet when men are humbled in any manner before him to shew that he is ready to hear prayers he hears them And this is a thing that should wound our hearts and break them more then any thing in the world to make us see that the Lord is patient and long suffering that though the humiliation of men he not sound and according to what he expects yet he is ready to remove the judgement And this use we should further make of it that if the Lord hear when humiliation is not found what wil he do when our prayers are servent and sound when our humiliation is perfect This is a thing that we ought to take notice of that when the Lord is so ready to hear we should be encouraged to pray and to seek unto him For when the Lord shall do as he hath done with us when he shall stay the plague when he shall say to it as he doth to the raging sea thus far thou shalt go and no further when we look upon this and observe this dealing of the Lord we should have a store house of such experiments as these that we may learn thereby to know the Lord and to trust him that we may be encouraged thereby to seek unto him For when such actions as these are slighted we take his name in vain and the Lord will not hold us guiltless if we take his Name in vain no more will he if we pass by these actions of his without taking notice Therefore it is well that such a day as this is set apart that we may remember it and consider what answer the Lord gives our prayers and acknowledge it but I will not stand to enlarge this The next words are And he gave him a sign You know there is a double ground of asking a sign One is when a man asks a sign to tempt the Lord. As the Iewes asked a sign not out of a desire to profit by it but because they would see what the Lord would do and this Christ denyed them this is a sinful asking of
a sign There is another asking of a sign when it is to confirm our faith when the intention is good and the heart is upright Thus Hezekiah asked a sign and the Lord gave him a sign hence observe that The Lord tenders a weak faith He will not quench the smoaking flax nor break the bruised reed but he is ready to supply it when it is but as a grain of mustard-seed When Hezekiah had not faith enough to believe what the Prophet had told him from the mouth of the Lord the Lord added a sign But I come to the next words And Hezekiah did not render according to the mercies the Lord bestowed upon him Whence this is the observation I will deliver to you that When the Lord bestowes a mercy he looks for praise and thankfulness and that it should bear a proportion to the blessing received For so the words are brought in Hezekiah prayed and the Lord answered him and gave him the thing he desired but Hezekiah rendered not to the Lord according to the Mercies bestowed upon him implying that the Lord looked for something at his hands he expected that he should be thankful Hezekiah was ready to glorifie himself when the Amhassadors came from the King of Babylon and he did not render according to the mercies received This the Lord observed and it is set down noting that when the Lord bestowes a mercy he looks that we should be thankful and that our thankfulness should be according to the mercies This is a point that needeth no proof that the Lord looketh for thankfulness Onely I will shew you why this is a thing that the Lord makes so great account of You must consider that this duty of thankfulness of all other that we can offer to the Lord it is the most free it is the greatest testimony of sincerity and ingenuity in us for when we pray to the Lord it may proceed out of self love but when we are thankful that comes out of love to the Lord prayer may tend to our own profit but thankfulness tends to Gods Glory therefore we should be the more abundant in this duty because the nature of this duty is such as is more commendable it is more free it is a testimony of more sincerity and ingenuity in us Besides it is a duty that stirs us up more to think well of the Lord and to speak well of him for when we come to give thanks for mercies it pitcheth our thoughts upon his goodness and upon the great works he hath done for us and this causeth us to think better of the Lord and makes us the more willing to obey him and therefore it is an acceptable duty Again it is a commendable thing Psal. 33. 1. Rejoyce ye righteous for it is a comely thing to praise the Lord. That is it is a duty of that nature that it is not onely comly at some times as things are comely commonly with reference for nothing in it self is comely but in reference to such and such things but now thankfulness is of that nature that it is alway beautiful and comely at all times because it iâ— simply so and therefore it continues for ever You know it is the commendation of love that it shall continue when prophesie and faith and other graces shall faile so it is the commendation of thankfulness that even in heaven it is comely for there we shall praise the Lord for ever But now you must know that the Lord doth not onely look for thankfulness but that we should render according to the mercies we have received so that in our thankfulness there must be these four conditions First you must consider that when you come to give thanks for any mercy to the Lord it is not such a free-will offering as that you may chuse whether you will do it or no but you must know that you are bound to it therefore this word yielding here it shewes that it was such a debt as Hezekiah did owe to the Lord. When you are to give thanks therefore you must not go about this duty as if you might do it or not do it and it is no great matter but that it is such a thing as the Lord requires For when the Lord bestowes any mercy upon us he keeps this property still in his own hands to have thanks rendred to him Sutable praise and thanksgiving is the rent and fine as I may say which the Lord would have us give him for all the things we enjoy Now when we do not give him praise we with hold that from him which is his due As when a rent is due to a Land-lord and is not paid him you detain that from him which is his right And you see in this verse that when Hezekiah did not render according to the mercies received wrath came upon him When wrath shall come upon a man for neglecting of a duty it is an argument that it is not so free as that he might neglect it if he please but that he must do it of necessity This is the first thing that you are to consider that the Lord requires it exactly at your hands it is a thing that you owe to the Lord. Secondly you must render according to the mercies received that is there must be a suitableness and proportion between your thankfulness and the mercies bestowed Wherein two things are to be observed One is when you have many mercies you must be much in thankfulness when all that you have are mercies you must alway be giving thanks You shall see it 1 Thes. 5. In all things give thanks for that is the will of God towards you that is it is not enough to be thankful to God for some mercies no nor for mercies in general to say God be thanked for all his benefits and so to name them in the gross but in all things give thanks that is for every particular thing for every mercy received And this is a special thing and a thing that we are exceedingly apt to fail in that we do not give thanks for all things If we could come once to take notice and to particularize the variety of mercies that we have received they would be as so many sparks to kindle a flame of love and to knit us to the Lord when as it may be mercies in the general will not so much affectus And besides when we give thanks so in the general onely we are apt to forget them but when we give thanks in particular for things this quickens us and keeps us near to the Lord. Therefore you must remember this that in your giving thanks you are to remember every thing in particular to render to the Lord according to the mercies bestowed Again Thirdly according to the mercies received This is another condition that the extent of your thankfulnesse be according to the greatnesse of the mercies For you shall observe in the
as well as the eye so in the body of Christ there are members of all sorts In a great house there is use of vessels of divers degrees so in the church of Christ there is use of mean christians of those of lower parts there is need I say of them as well as of those of more excellent gifts therefore you must remember this that though God be rich in mercy yet he takes not away those differences and degrees that are amongst men and if you ask how then he is rich in mercy I say every man hath the mercies that belongeth to him in his kinde a man of a lower degree hath so much mercy as he is able to receive he hath the mercies that belong unto him and it is enough for him for we say if a man have his appetite filled it is enough take a man that is lower his appetite is lower and the mercies that he hath are sufficient to give him satisfaction for the appetite followeth the form and when that 's satisfied every creature is in its perfection Secondly For the other part of the objection concerning those afflictions wherewith God seemeth to afflict those that are his children we answer That his love is to them constant as unto sons but his carriage to them is different The reasons are many he knoweth their constitutions best he knoweth their conditions best as a stander by a sick patient is not able to tell what the physician doth although the physician knoweth so God layeth sharp afflictions upon his children he himself knoweth the reason although men are not able to discern it Again there are different causes it may be upon some men he meaneth to bestow more grace then upon others therefore he afflicteth them more he will have them purer then others therefore they are oftner in the fire some he intendeth for more special use therefore he thresheth them cleaner then others the seed corn you know is commonly more clean threshed and winnowed then that which is for ordinary use so God dealeth with his children In general this you may be sure of that God will deal mercifully with you he is not ready to afflict you you shall not tast of any sharp dealing from him except it be in these cases 1. If there be any sin that lyeth unrepented of then look to be scourged by affliction When Iosephs brethren had forgot their sin God calleth them back again by affliction Or Secondly in case they go about any evil thing or any indifferent thing in an evil manner then oftentimes God meeteth them with affliction so he dealt with Iehosophat because he went about an evil enterprize to joyn himself with Ahazia king of Israel a man who did very wickedly to make ships to fetch gold from Tarshish the ships were broken that they were not able to go Or Thirdly in case they need deeper humiliation then they must look for affliction David was humbled when Nathan came to him but yet you may see Psalm 51. which was made a great while afterwards that he had need to be more humbled for there he complaineth that his bones were broken Or Fourthly in case of scandal they may be afflicted lest the enemies of God should blaspheme for this cause saith Nathan to David because thou hast given occasion to the enemies of God to blaspheme the sword shall not depart from thy house so when the Saints fall into scandalous sins in this case they must look for afflictions Or Lastly to prevent an inward disease and thus Saint Paul was afflicted for when he was taken up into the third heaven he had pride growing upon him and began to be exalted above measure therefore the Lord sent a messenger of Satan to buffet him and though he took it at the first somewhat amiss yet when God had informed him that it was to heal a greater disease he was well contented in this case therefore God often afflicteth to prevent sin beginning when his children begin to be stubborn he teacheth them by affliction to be obedient Christ himself learned obedience by affliction so if his children begin to over-value earthly things to delight over much in them to wean them now from the world and to teach them to know the vanity of the creature he afflicteth them still I say either to bring them back to repentance or to meet with them when they go about an evil enterprize or to bring them to deeper humiliation or when they fall into scandalous sins or lastly to prevent a further sinning except in these cases you are sure alwayes to have mercy for God is exceeding rich in mercy And so much for this point According to his glorious riches or the riches of his glory The next point to be observed is this that God reckoneth it his Glory to be merciful his mercy is his glory therefore it is called the riches of his glory that is those riches of mercy are glorious which will appear by these reasons First When God promised to shew Moses his glory for that was Moses his request that God would shew him his glory you see there what God did he made known his mercy for that was all he did when he proclamed his name to Moses he made known his mercy to him therefore his glory consisted in that for when he would make known his glory he manifested his mercy Secondly That which is the object of praise must needs be glorious â—ow the mercies of God you shal finde are still the object of the praises of the saints Look into the book of Psalms and you shall see how abundant David is in praising God for his mercies look into all the songs made by Moses or Deborah or Esaiah or by any other in the scripture all the object of their praise was his mercy now whatsoever the object of praise is that is glorious Thirdly God made the world you know for his glories sake to make manifest that now that which he did in making the world was to communicate his mercy and his goodness to the creature for this was the primary and first intent of God and that indeed was all that he did he explicated his goodness to the creature and then made angels and men to behold it now I say if he made the world for his glory in the world he communicated his mercy and goodness to the creature his mercy then must needs be his glory Lastly He hath put into men a natural self-love every creature desireth the preservation of it self now the mercies of God tend to the preservation and advantage of the creature therefore the creature is apt to give him praise for it It is his mercy that the creature is ready to magnifie with al propenseness of heart with all readiness of disposition now when God had man in his hands as the potter the clay seeing he hath so fashioned him that he is apt to praise him